Sandy Hook Survivor, 17, Tells Her Story For First Time Since Tragedy 10 Years Ago: 'I Thought I Was Going To Die'

Story by KC Baker • People

Nicole Melchionno survived the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and doesn't want any other child to have to endure the nightmare she did.


Sasha Arutyunova Nicole Melchionno

"Kids shouldn't have to worry when they go to school," says Nicole, now 17 and a gun violence prevention advocate who spoke to PEOPLE ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting.

Ten years ago, Nicole was only 7 and in second grade when a 20-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, two semi-automatic handguns and an endless supply of ammunition blasted his way into the cozy school through the plate-glass window next to the locked front door.

Once inside, he turned left instead of right, where Nicole's classroom was located, and opened fire, killing 20 terrified first graders and 6 educators in the nation's first mass shooting at an elementary school — and one of the worst in U.S. history.

Trembling in fear, Nicole huddled with her teacher and classmates next to their jackets and hats in their coat cubbies as the crack of gunfire echoed through the halls. "The intercom was left on, so everything was amplified," she says.


Shannon Hicks/Newtown Bee/ZUM

 The scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012

© Provided by People

Sitting toward the front of the room, she worried that if the gunman came into her classroom, that she would be one of the first to be shot.

RELATED: Remembering the Sandy Hook Shooting Victims 5 Years Later

"I thought I was never going to see my family again," she says. "I was scared that I was going to die."

When law enforcement arrived, Nicole and her classmates and teacher ran to a nearby firehouse, where she was later reunited with her family.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Like others who lived through the unspeakable horrors of that day, she remains scarred from the trauma she endured. After the shooting, she had terrible nightmares and trouble going to sleep. Like so many others who survived the shooting, she was also plagued with anxiety.



Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 

March Fourth to end gun violence at the US Capitol© Provided by People

She has learned to manage her anxiety, which has lessened over the years. But being in big crowds and "not knowing if someone has a gun can re-trigger me at times," she says.

RELATED: 'Choose Love' to Stop Violence, Sandy Hook Mom Says on Eve of Shooting's 7th Anniversary

Related video: Father Of Uvalde School Shooting Victim Describes The Moment He Learned His Child Had Been Shot (Dr. Phil)
Duration 2:50
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As Nicole kept hearing about the increasing number of school shootings that kept taking place after Sandy Hook, she decided to turn tragedy into triumph by fighting to end gun violence. In 2018, when she was in eighth grade, she started to become involved in gun violence prevention. "It's just so painfully common in this country," she says.

She took part in March for Our Lives, a student-led mass demonstration in March 2018 in Washington, D.C., to push for gun control legislation.

"It was empowering," she says.

For more on Nicole Melchionno and the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.

In 2020, when she was a sophomore, she joined the Junior Newtown Action Alliance, which is part of the local gun violence prevention group Newtown Action Alliance, and became its legislative coordinator the following year.

But it was the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May — which killed 19 students and two children — that moved her to take action.

"It sparked something in me," she says. "I felt that I needed to do more."

RELATED: Sandy Hook Dad Responds to Texas School Shooting: 'Sadly, I Know the Unspeakable Pain'

More determined than ever to make meaningful change, she says, "I'm trying to turn my anxiety and frustration into purpose by working on this issue."

Since then, she has spoken publicly at news conferences in Connecticut and at rallies in D.C. She's also traveled several times to the nation's capital, including in July to celebrate the historic June 24 signing of the Bipartisan Gun Bill on the White House lawn.

In the fall, she worked with March for Our Lives lobbying senators on Capitol Hill about an assault weapons ban.


Courtesy of NICOLE MELCHIONNO 

Nicole with Chloe, a survivor of the Uvalde shooting

They were "trying to get the Democratic caucus to show urgency on the assault weapons ban being brought up for a vote before the end of the lame duck session," she says, referring to the last chance for Democrats to push through their legislative priorities before Republicans take control of the House of Representatives in January.

She is returning this month with other teens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting at the Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence.

In between her activism, she is a regular teenager, spending time with her friends, going to the movies and hitting the local Starbucks.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society named her one of its students of the year in March for raising money and awareness for the disease.

She's applying to college now, with plans to study public policy and maybe business.

As a member of Gen Z, she says, "gun violence is one of our top priorities because we really are the only generation that's had to grow up through this.

"I am hopeful for the future," she says.

"But more needs to be done."

Taiwan seeks to reassure on TSMC commitment to island despite U.S. investment

Story by Reuters • Yesterday .





TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's economy minister said on Wednesday that the island remains chipmaker TSMC's most important production base after the company announced it would more than triple its planned investment at its new Arizona plant to $40 billion.

TSMC's Arizona factory has sparked concerns in Taiwan, where semiconductor manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, about a "goodbye to Taiwan" trend among chip firms. TSMC, which makes most its chips in Taiwan, is also building a factory in Japan.

The first Arizona chip fabrication facility, or fab, will be operational by 2024 while the second facility nearby will make the most advanced chips currently in production, called "3 nanometre," by 2026.

Speaking on the sidelines of parliament, Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua said the island's position as a major semiconductor producer and maker of the most advanced chips was secure.

"TSMC's research and development centre is in Taiwan, the complete supply chain is here," she said. "Taiwan has a complete supply chain, a complete system, and the backing of the government. It is definitely TSMC's most important production base."

The production of 3nm chips is already happening in Taiwan, and the even more advanced 2nm and 1nm development and production in Taiwan are also on track, Wang added.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, as it is formally called, has repeatedly said that the bulk of its manufacturing will remain in Taiwan.

TSMC's Taipei-listed shares were up 1.5% on Wednesday morning, outperforming the broader index.

The company is the world's largest contract chip maker and a major supplier to global tech firms including Apple Inc.

U.S. President Joe Biden has sought to boost semiconductor production at home after the COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain problems that led to shortages of chips for vehicles and many other items.

Taiwan has been keen to show the United States, its most important international supporter and arms seller in the face of mounting Chinese military pressure, that as a "like-minded democracy" it is a reliable semiconductor partner and supplier and has supported the Arizona plans.

But the government is also rolling out more support for the chip industry at home, including proposing larger tax breaks for technology companies' research and development to retain its competitive edge.

It is also encouraging more foreign tech firms in the chip supply chain to invest in Taiwan.

Premier Su Tseng-chang said late on Tuesday that his deputy Shen Jong-chin was leading a task force to promote such investments.

(Reporting by Jeanny Kao and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

BC

Port Coquitlam ordered to pay $58K after firing a worker who washed his truck at municipal facility

Yesterday 

A Port Coquitlam employee has won his wrongful dismissal suit against the city after being fired for washing his personal vehicle at a municipal wash facility.

Marco Stevens, a supervisor in the public works department, was awarded nearly $58,000 in damages for wrongful dismissal in B.C. Supreme Court on Dec. 1.

“While Mr. Stevens breached the policy and his conduct reflected poorly on his leadership skills, it did not justify his summary dismissal for cause,” ruled Justice Bruce Elwood.

“His misconduct was not so egregious that it effectively destroyed the employment relationship,” Elwood wrote.

In November 2020, Stevens stopped at the public works yard on his day off to wash his truck and recreational trailer after returning from a hunting trip with his son.

The city has a policy that prohibits employees from using city facilities, equipment, supplies or resources for personal use.

Another employee saw Stevens. The employee was later caught washing his own vehicle, at which point he said Stevens told him it was OK.

Stevens testified he told the employee that he “probably shouldn’t,” and that it’s “frowned upon.”

When Stevens was still a unionized employee in 2018, he had been told not to wash his truck at the wash facility.

Stevens said it was a casual conversation, no city policies were cited nor any potential consequences.

The meeting was brief, informal and there was no union representative present. No warnings or discipline were issued.

The manager of the public works department, David Kidd, learned of the 2020 incident on Nov. 24. Kidd phoned Stevens’ boss to explain his “utter disappointment.”

Stevens texted both men to apologize.

“I had a lapse of judgments [sic] and I was wrong. I’ll take whatever comes from it on the chin. My bad guys.”

The next day he was fired by the city.

Kidd testified that Stevens’ misconduct was exacerbated because the city had just fired six other employees from his department based on the same policy.

In 2018, the city completed an investigation into a group of employees who it believed had been stealing and selling municipal-owned copper going back to 2000.

The city alleged the group would cut up scrap copper, conceal it in burlap bags in municipal vehicles, before transferring it to personal vehicles to sell.

“Using municipal equipment was essential to the scheme,” according to court documents.

“This was a co-operative effort that required the knowledge and condonation of a number of employees, including unionized supervisors.”

Twelve employees were interviewed in the investigation, including Stevens, resulting in seven being fired in 2018.

The union filed a grievance, but only one dismissal was reversed after an arbitrator cleared one employee of involvement in the copper scheme .

The fallout from the investigation led to an “atmosphere of mistrust” between management and the union.

“The copper theft scheme reflected a culture in which some employees took advantage of their position for personal gain or advantage,” court documents stated.

Less serious examples included employees disposing of personal garbage on site, taking municipal tools home, and maintaining or washing their personal vehicles.

Following the dismissals, changes to the management structure were made, including promoting Stevens to a new managerial position.

One of his duties was ensuring other staff adhered to city policies.

Justice Elwood ruled that Kidd had placed “undue weight” on the recent dismissals and the need for consistent application of city policies when he terminated Stevens.

While Kidd had reason to be disappointed and angry with Stevens in light of recent events, he could have issued a suspension or remedial training, the court found.

“Washing a truck at a municipal wash station is simply not analogous to a nefarious and long-running scheme to use municipal equipment and vehicles to steal city property,” the Justice concluded.

The Justice stated the consequences for breaching the city’s municipal equipment policy were not clear, as Port Coquitlam prohibits a wide range of conduct that would clearly not require summary dismissals.

The city’s investigation into Stevens’ 2020 and 2018 infractions were not thoroughly explored before he was dismissed, Elwood wrote.

“The 2020 Incident reflected poorly on Mr. Stevens’ management skills. However, I am not persuaded the employment relationship was damaged beyond repair,” Elwood stated. “I find that summary dismissal was not a proportionate response to the misconduct.”

Stevens’ claim for punitive damages was dismissed by the judge, stating the city was acting in good faith and had reasonable grounds to discipline him.

Patrick Penner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tri-Cities Dispatch

MANITOBA

WSD to offer Filipino bilingual program

Yesterday 

A historic number of freshly minted Filipino trustees on Manitoba’s largest school board will oversee the introduction of a new bilingual program that caters to immigrants from the Philippines and their Winnipeg-born descendants.

The Winnipeg School Division, which oversees the education of 30,000 students in central and inner-city classrooms, plans to launch a Filipino bilingual program next year.

So far, 12 students have registered for the course slated to be offered at Meadows West School in Inkster Gardens. The division requires a minimum of 23 pupils before finalizing a specialty program.

“If we are not going to do this, I cannot imagine moving forward — 10 years from now, our youth of today will no longer have the language; it’s easy to lose,” said Mary Jane Napolitano, president of the Manitoba Association of Filipino Teachers.

When her family immigrated to Canada from the Philippines nearly 20 years ago, Napolitano initially encouraged her nine-year-old daughter to focus on English.

“I thought that’s the best way to do it, and many of us practised that… but now the tables are already turned around. (Parents) want their children to know the language, to know the culture, the history, the songs, and we’ve been very, very successful in delivering this in our heritage programs. Why not put it in class now?” she said, noting the success of WSD’s after-school cultural offerings. The inaugural cohort is expected to study Filipino in social studies, art and music.

WSD has Ukrainian, Hebrew, Cree, Spanish and Ojibwa bilingual programs. The second language is used for instruction for approximately 50 per cent of lessons throughout a typical school day.

The three most common ethnic origins within the division’s borders are Filipino, English and Canadian, according to the latest school demographics report.

English aside, Tagalog — a dialect of the same language as Filipino — is the most popular language spoken in family homes.

“The numbers we have warrant representation,” said Perla Javate, the newly elected Ward 6 representative whose resumé boasts more than 30 years working as a community liaison and intercultural support worker in the division.

“That’s one reason why I did say yes to running this time, because it was never my plan to go into a public position, because I was busy with volunteer work, working with racialized groups and the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba.”

Javate and her colleagues Dante Aviso and Ann Evangelista, voted in to represent wards 5 and 9, respectively, were honoured at an event at the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba last month.

The new trustees — accounting for a third of the board representatives — spent the majority, if not all, of their schooling in their home country; Aviso arrived in Winnipeg with his family as a teenager and graduated from Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute.

In a group interview, Aviso said the trio is bringing unique experiences with different education systems, strong individual relationships with ethnocultural communities and a shared commitment to serve residents to the board table.

They are all in agreement that local pupils would benefit from classroom culture changes that mimic successful practices in the Philippines, including an emphasis on openly recognizing exceptional student achievement to motivate peers and drilling strong study skills.

“There is really a huge gap. A lot of parents have pointed this out — when their kids transition from Grade 12 to university, there is some sort of culture shock,” said Evangelista, an instructor at the University of Winnipeg.

The Ward 9 trustee, who has taught in countries across Southeast Asia, said her priorities include advocating for post-secondary transition supports and updated professional development for bilingual program teachers.

Javate’s to-do list for the 2022-26 term includes recommending the division designate a staff member at every school to be a receptionist, guide “and friend” for newcomer youth to set them up for success.

For Aviso, a real estate agent and literacy advocate, an eventual expansion of the Filipino bilingual program to Sargent Park is of interest.

The latest iteration of the school board is an exciting development for Filipino teacher organizers.

Genalyn Tan, a trained educator, parent and community leader, said their autumn open house to advertise the tentative September 2023 program launch drew significant interest.

Tan said WSD’s after-school heritage classes are giving youth the ability to speak to their grandparents and other relatives in their mother tongues.

“It’s giving (families) a sense of pride and it boosts their morale, whenever they hear their children speak the language when they get back home,” said the vice-president of the Filipino Canadian National Congress.

Fluency also benefits students because they can earn a high school credit via WSD’s Filipino exam and later in life, take on jobs where multiple languages are an asset, she said, adding the language is growing in popularity due to immigration.

The Seven Oaks School Division launched a groundbreaking English-Filipino stream — believed to be the first of its kind in Canada — in 2018-19. Arthur E. Wright Community School in The Maples continues to offer it to K-6 students.

The program in WSD is anticipated to begin with kindergarten and Grade 1 pupils.

Learners from across the city are welcome to register, but free busing will only be available to pupils in the division who live 1.6 kilometres from Meadows West, according to the organizers.

Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press

Alabama family sentenced by feds for running 'one of the largest cockfighting enterprises' in the US

Story by Greg Norman • 

The seventh and final member of an Alabama family that prosecutors allege ran an "expansive cockfighting operation" complete with "stadium-style seating for approximately 150 people" and a "merchandise stand," has been sentenced on federal charges.

On Tuesday, George Easterling, 56, of Verbena, was handed a 22-month prison term followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to multiple felonies, including violating the Animal Welfare Act’s prohibition against animal fighting, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors say Easterling and six other family members, ranging in age from 25 to 77, were recently involved in operating a cockfighting pit and fighting-bird breeding operation.

"According to court documents and information in the public record, from at least January 2018 through June 11, 2021, illegal cockfighting events were held at the cockfighting pit, which consisted of an arena with stadium-style seating for approximately 150 people which faced several cockfighting pits and several nearby outbuildings including a merchandise stand," the Justice Department said in a statement.

143 ROOSTERS EUTHANIZED AFTER CALIFORNIA COCKFIGHTING BUST

A cockfighting event is pictured on Feb. 20, 2021 near Manila, Philippines. The Justice Department says the Easterling family ran "one of the largest cockfighting enterprises" in the U.S. Jes Aznar/Getty Images© Jes Aznar/Getty Images

"Participants were charged expensive fees to enter their birds in the derbies – such as $1,500 to fight seven roosters – and told what weapons to strap to the roosters’ legs, such as short knives, long knives or spurs," it added.

Prosecutors say that near the cockfighting pit, "members of the Easterling family ran two large fighting-bird breeding businesses known as Swift Creek Gamefarm and L&L Gamefarm at which thousands of birds were bred and sold to be used in fights between two or more birds for the purposes of sport, wagering or entertainment."

"Combined, the seven convicted members of the Easterling family helped run one of the largest cockfighting enterprises in the country," the Justice Department said. "With the help of six of his family members, Jim Easterling owned and operated the cockfighting pit for many years, even enlisting his granddaughter, Amber Easterling, to sell weapons used to kill birds in cockfights at the merchandise stand."



Locals watch as roosters clash during a cockfight on Dec. 4, 2011 in Koronadal, Philippines. U.S. federal prosecutors say the members of the Easterling family also "ran two large fighting-bird breeding businesses." Jeoffrey Maitem/Getty Images© Jeoffrey Maitem/Getty Images

The statement also described Brent Easterling as being "one of the most widely-known fighting-bird breeders in the country, running L&L Gamefarm with his wife Kassi Easterling and charging $1,500 for three chickens because they were birds of select fighting pedigrees."

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said, "As these sentences vividly show, the Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable those who encourage and profit from forcing animals to fight each other for human entertainment."

NO MENTION OF THE UIGHERS
China's Xi on 'epoch-making' visit to Saudi as Riyadh chafes at U.S. censure

Story by By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Eduardo Baptista • 

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Riyadh© Thomson Reuters

RIYADH (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping began a visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that Beijing said marked its biggest diplomatic initiative in the Arab world, as Riyadh expands global alliances beyond a longstanding partnership with the West.

The meeting between the global economic powerhouse and Gulf energy giant comes as Saudi ties with Washington are strained by U.S. criticism of Riyadh's human rights record and Saudi support for oil output curbs before the November midterm elections.


Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Riyadh© Thomson Reuters

The White House said Xi's visit was an example of Chinese attempts to exert influence, and that this would not change U.S. policy towards the Middle East.

"We are mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

China, the world's biggest energy consumer, is a major trade partner of Gulf oil and gas producers. Bilateral ties have expanded under the region's economic diversification push, raising U.S. concerns about growing Chinese involvement in sensitive infrastructure in the Gulf.



Flags of participating countries are pictured ahead of the China-Arab summit in Riyadh© Thomson Reuters

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Wednesday said that Riyadh would remain a "trusted and reliable" energy partner for Beijing and that the two countries would boost cooperation in energy supply chains by establishing a regional centre in the kingdom for Chinese factories.

Related video: Chinese President XI Jinping to meet Saudi Arabia's Crown prince (WION)  Duration 6:38 View on Watch




Saudi Arabia is China's top oil supplier and Xi's visit takes place while uncertainty hangs over energy markets after Western powers imposed a price cap on sales of oil from Russia, which has been increasing volumes to China with discounted oil.

The Chinese delegation is expected to sign deals worth $30 billion with Riyadh, Saudi state media had said.

'EPOCH-MAKING VISIT'

Xi was met by the governor of Riyadh, the kingdom's foreign minister and the governor of sovereign wealth fund PIF.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to offer Xi a lavish welcome, in contrast with the low-key reception for U.S. President Joe Biden whose censure of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler formed the backdrop for a strained meeting in July.

Xi will hold bilateral talks with Saudi Arabia and Riyadh will later host a wider meeting with Gulf Arab states and a summit with Arab leaders which will be "an epoch-making milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations", foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Speaking on arrival in Riyadh, Xi said he would work with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other Arab leaders "to advance Chinese-Arab relations and Chinese-GCC relations to a new level", Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

For Riyadh, frustrated by what it sees as Washington's gradual disengagement from the Middle East and a slow erosion of its security guarantees, China offers an opportunity for economic gains without the tensions which have come to cloud the U.S. relationship.

"Beijing does not burden its partners with demands or political expectations and refrains from interfering in their internal affairs," Saudi columnist Abdulrahman Al-Rashed wrote in the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Unlike Washington, Beijing retains good ties with Riyadh's regional rival Iran, another supplier of oil to China, and has shown little interest in addressing Saudi political or security concerns in the region.

Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam, had supported China's policies in Xinjiang, where the U.N. says human rights abuses have been committed against Uyghurs and other Muslims.

Saudi officials have said that regional security would be on the agenda during Xi's visit. The United States has for decades been Saudi Arabia's main security guarantor and remains its main defence supplier, but Riyadh has chafed at restrictions on U.S. arms sales to the kingdom.

Riyadh has said it would continue to expand partnerships to serve economic and security interests, despite U.S. reservations about Gulf ties with both Russia and China.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh; Additional reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Maha El Dahan in Dubai and Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Dominic Evans and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Nick Macfie and Toby Chopra)

Canada sends diplomatic mission to Haiti over gang violence

(Reuters) - Foreign affairs officials from Canada began a three-day diplomatic mission to Haiti on Wednesday in a bid to address a gang-related humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Caribbean country, the office of Global Affairs Canada said.


People displaced by gang war violence in Cite Soleil on the streets of 

Delmas neighborhood in Port-au-Prince© Thomson Reuters

Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, is leading the mission and will consult with high-level political figures, local groups and key Haitian officials to determine Canada's potential role in the international response, the office said in a statement.

Related video: Gangs in Haiti battle for control amid unrest 
Duration 7:57
View on Watch



Haitian gangs in September created a humanitarian crisis by blocking the entrance to a fuel terminal, leading to shortages of gasoline and diesel that halted most economic activity just as the country reported a renewed outbreak of cholera.

Some 200 gangs of varying size have become de facto authorities in large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and are involved in illegal activities including extortion and drug trafficking.

Over the last five weeks, Canada has imposed sanctions on 11 Haitian political and economic officials. It has also provided security and humanitarian assistance as well as funding to fight corruption and impunity in Haiti, the office noted.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago, editing by Deepa Babington)

Mexican workers accuse Canadian farmers of mistreatment

Yesterday 

Seasonal farm workers are speaking out over what they describe as inhumane treatment from their Canadian employers.

Mexican agricultural workers have written an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, outlining conditions they say they face working in the Canadian agriculture industry.

“For more than half a century, our well-being has not been thought of and we are still treated as disposable objects for employers,” the workers wrote in their open letter.

About 47 workers from 40 different farms across Canada collaborated on the Nov. 8 letter, but only 26 signed their names.

Of the 26 who signed, one was from a Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard.

One of the demands from workers is permanent status for all, including for seasonal workers who come to Canada through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program.

“Employers threaten to fire us, deport us and kick us out of the program. Without permanent status, employers have the power to get rid of us whenever they please as if they owned us,” the workers said in the letter.

Some workers have been coming to Canada for upward of 20 years, but only have temporary status. They say this can make it hard for them to defend their rights.

“There’s always the fear of being sent back or not coming back next season,” said Luisa Ortiz-Garza, an organizer with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, who worked closely with the workers to produce the open letter.

The workers are also members of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

According to Leonel Nava, a Mexican worker who works at a Christmas tree farm in Nova Scotia, about 10 workers have been deported since September for speaking up about their concerns at his farm.

“The mistreatment or abuse of temporary foreign workers is unacceptable,” a spokesperson from the office of federal employment minister Carla Qualtrough said in an email to The Lake Report.

“The experiences detailed in this letter from Mexican migrant workers are disturbing and inhumane.”

Qualtrough’s ministry oversees Employment and Social Development Canada and the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program falls under its jurisdiction.

“Our government is working closely with all partners to improve this program and ensure that workers are protected at all times,” the ministry spokesperson said.

This open letter comes not long after workers from Jamaica wrote and signed a separate letter to the Jamaican and Canadian governments in August, outlining what they described as “systemic slavery.”

“They got really inspired (by) that letter and also they wanted to show unity,” said Ortiz-Garza.


One of the demands made by workers is for the Canadian government to implement a national housing standard across the country.

One of the most common complaints Ortiz-Garza heard from employees was about their living conditions.

“We sleep in bunk beds with bed bugs, in houses full of rats, sharing the bathroom with more than 10 people. We have no privacy,” the workers wrote.

Nava worked in British Columbia from 2014 until 2021, but wasn’t invited back by his employer after he raised some concerns about his living conditions.

“My house was destroyed by a fire, then he sent me to live in a basement without (a) washroom,” said Nava.

The employer put three other workers in a hotel after the fire but Nava and another worker had to live in a basement.

“I complain about that. He don’t apply for me anymore,” he added.

Nava now shares a house with about 20 people in Nova Scotia, with five to a room. They share everything, he said.

Living with so many people makes it difficult for Nava to have a private call with his wife and two children back home in Mexico. He doesn’t see them for half the year.

The letter described the inability to communicate privately with their families back home as “humiliating.”

Qualtrough’s spokesperson said this year she “convened two meetings with provincial and territorial governments, international governments, migrant worker organizations, and other partners to improve the regulations around accommodation” for temporary foreign workers.

Workers are also asking for open work permits, so they can easily switch farms, and for a system where workers can report abusive employers anonymously.

“The abuse at work that we experience is inhumane. We have to endure shouting, racist comments (and) insults,” the workers said in their open letter.

Employment and Social Development Canada operates a confidential telephone tip line in more than 200 different languages so that workers can report employers for wrongdoings.

But sometimes workers aren’t told about the tip line, said Kit Andres from Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

Other demands outlined in the letter included better job security, access to the benefits they pay for, better protection from Mexican consulates, the ability to represent themselves during contract negotiations and being better informed about the contracts they sign.

Workers want to be able to decide their own futures and if a new opportunity shows up, be able to take it, said Nava.

Canadian citizens can choose where they want to work, said Nava.

“We can’t,” he said.

Along with the open letter, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change released a video that details some of the conditions outlined in the letter.

The annual review of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program between Canada and Mexico will be held in the coming weeks.

Somer Slobodian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Lake Report

US appeals ruling that would lift asylum restrictions


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government said Wednesday it is appealing a court ruling that would otherwise lift asylum restrictions that have become the cornerstone of border enforcement in recent years.


US appeals ruling that would lift asylum restrictions© Provided by The Canadian Press

The disputed enforcement rule first took effect in March 2020, denying migrants' rights to seek asylum under U.S. and international law on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Homeland Security Department said it would file an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, challenging a November ruling by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan that ordered President Joe Biden's administration to lift the asylum restrictions.

The restrictions were put in place under former President Donald Trump at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The practice was authorized under Title 42 of a broader 1944 law covering public health, and has been used to expel migrants more than 2.4 million times.

The appeal could scuttle a Dec. 21 deadline set by Sullivan for his order to go into effect.

Sullivan has called the expulsion of migrants under the rule “arbitrary and capricious.”

And immigrant rights’ groups have argued that the use of Title 42 unjustly harms people fleeing persecution and that the pandemic was a pretext used by the Trump administration to curb immigration.

“The Biden administration’s decision to appeal is unsurprising given its vigorous defense of the policy for the past two years,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the ACLU and lead counsel on its Title 42 litigation, in an email.

A coalition of conservative-leaning states wants to keep in place the Trump-era public health rule that allows many asylum seekers to be turned away at the southern U.S. border.

The ban has been unevenly enforced by nationality, falling largely on migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador — as well as Mexicans — because Mexico allows them to be returned from the United States. Last month, Mexico began accepting Venezuelans who are expelled from the United States under Title 42, causing a sharp drop in Venezuelans seeking asylum at the U.S. border.

The asylum rule has been used by the Biden administration to expel migrant families and single adults, though not children traveling alone.

Morgan Lee, The Associated Press

Why Republicans are so intent on rolling back the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate

Story by Li Zhou 

This year, Congress’s annual defense bill, a must-pass measure that authorizes military spending for the next year, includes a unique provision.


Sen. Marsha Blackburn, an outspoken critic of the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, heralded its rollback in the defense bill.© Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), lays out more than $840 billion in defense funds and would roll back the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. That mandate, put in place in August 2021 to prevent the spread of coronavirus among service members, is opposed by Republicans, who’ve long railed against vaccine mandates in general. Now the GOP is using the NDAA to seize a win on something they’ve made into a culture war issue.

Republicans’ main argument centers on staffing: They say the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate has pushed out thousands of service members in a time when there are already severe labor shortages. Roughly 8,000 active-duty service members have been discharged because they refused vaccination, per US News, but that represents a small fraction of the military’s more than 1 million active-duty service members. As Politico reported, about 98 percent of the military has been vaccinated.

Because the NDAA needs at least 10 Republican votes to pass in the Senate, and will probably need House Republican support given Democrats’ narrow majority in that chamber, the GOP has a key opportunity to secure a policy and messaging win on vaccine requirements. Republican efforts hint, too, at how they’ll continue to leverage Democrats’ need for their cooperation in the new term, when they’ll control the House and the Democrats the Senate.

“That’s the first victory of having a Republican majority, and we’d like to have more of those victories, and we should start moving those now,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Fox News this past weekend, regarding the vaccine mandate rollback.

Why Republicans pushed to overturn the vaccine mandate

The Biden administration, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, has opposed putting the repeal of the vaccine mandate in the NDAA, though it’s stopped short of saying the president won’t sign it if it contains this provision. “A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So this mandate has kept people healthy,” Austin told reporters this past weekend. Additionally, the White House has noted the military has long had mandates for other vaccines including the flu and a host of other illnesses.

Related video: Congress set to rescind COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops (WTKR Norfolk, VA)

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In recent weeks, however, Republicans have made repealing the Covid-19 vaccine mandate a chief priority, claiming that it’s impacted the military’s ability to staff itself. The NDAA represented a prime chance to make a point on this issue, which has been politicized over the past few years, with Republicans arguing mandates represent an un-American assault on personal freedom. As Covid-19 cases have declined across the country, Republican lawmakers have only argued more vocally that there’s less of a need for these requirements.

Republicans’ main grievance is that the vaccine mandate has made it tougher for the military to retain people and recruit new service members, a claim that isn’t backed up by “hard data,” according to Austin. The reasons for recruitment shortfalls are nuanced: As the Associated Press reported, the Army did miss its recruitment target by 25 percent in the last year, with military leaders attributing the gap to a number of factors, including inability to do in-person recruiting because of the pandemic as well as vaccine hesitancy. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, a top military leader, has said vaccine mandates pose some obstacles in recruiting due to misinformation about the Covid-19 shots.

Along with the rescinding of the mandate, Republicans have called for a provision that would reinstate service members who’ve been discharged in the past because of the vaccine mandate, though that has not made it into the bill.

The push against the military vaccine mandate marks the latest effort by the GOP to make vaccine mandates an issue of contention in different must-pass bills. Republicans have repeatedly threatened to hold up government funding unless they could vote on amendments that would defund vaccine mandates the Biden administration has put in place for federal employees and medical workers. Since those mandates were established, GOP lawmakers have frequently tapped into the issue as a way to show their base that they’re protecting people’s liberties.

“It’s an honor to fight for our servicemembers and ensure they are protected from Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted.

The White House, on the other hand, has criticized Congress’s decision to rescind the vaccine mandate, saying immunizations remain important for maintaining troops’ ability to serve whenever and wherever necessary. “Vaccines are saving lives, including our men and women in uniform. So this remains very, very much a health and readiness issue for the force,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday, per the New York Times.

Republicans want to use these bills to score political points

McCarthy has signaled that Republicans are eager to use legislation like the defense bill to make their case on cultural issues once they assume the House majority in January. He even urged Congress to delay the passage of the defense bill until next year so they could include more provisions that combat the “woke-ism” that he argued Democrats are supporting. Although McCarthy did not specify which policies he was interested in targeting, Politico has reported that this umbrella could include things like initiatives aimed at making the military more diverse.

Republicans’ pushback on this issue indicates how they may use House control next year in a split Congress to secure their priorities on everything from defense policy to appropriations to the debt ceiling. Because several must-pass bills will need House support to advance, the GOP will have multiple opportunities to use their leverage to lobby for provisions like this one. The House is expected to pass the NDAA with the inclusion of the vaccine mandate rollback this week, a move Republicans have described as just the beginning.

“[I]n 28 days, the real work begins,” McCarthy said in a Tuesday statement. “The new House Republican majority will work to finally hold the Biden administration accountable and assist the men and women in uniform who were unfairly targeted by this administration.”